Department of Communities and Justice | Revenue NSW | Legal Aid NSW
Keeping the community informed
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Work & Development Order
ANNUAL REPORT
18/19
Contents
1 About this report ......................................................................................................... 1
2 Message from the WDO Governance Group .............................................................. 3
3 Governance & support ................................................................................................ 6
4 WDO sponsors ......................................................................................................... 10
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 12
WDO sponsor approvals in 2018/19 ................................................................................ 13
Location of WDO sponsors in NSW ................................................................................. 14
WDO sponsors outside of NSW....................................................................................... 16
5 Scheme overview ..................................................................................................... 17
Growth in WDOs approved .............................................................................................. 17
Debt cleared through WDOs ............................................................................................ 18
Closed WDOs .................................................................................................................. 19
6 WDO participants – who are they? ........................................................................... 20
Age .................................................................................................................................. 21
Gender ............................................................................................................................ 21
Centrelink status .............................................................................................................. 22
WDO sponsors ................................................................................................................ 22
7 Eligibility & activities ................................................................................................. 25
Eligibility reasons ............................................................................................................. 26
Activities .......................................................................................................................... 28
8 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People ................................................................ 30
Participation..................................................................................................................... 31
Demographics ................................................................................................................. 32
Eligibility reasons ............................................................................................................. 33
9 Culturally & Linguistically Diverse People ................................................................. 36
Participation..................................................................................................................... 37
Demographics ................................................................................................................. 40
Eligibility reasons ............................................................................................................. 40
Activities .......................................................................................................................... 41
10 Young people ................................................................................................ 43
Participation..................................................................................................................... 44
Debt cleared .................................................................................................................... 45
Demographics ................................................................................................................. 45
Eligibility reasons ............................................................................................................. 45
Activities .......................................................................................................................... 46
11 Location of WDO participants ........................................................................ 48
1 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
1 About this report
This Work and Development Order (WDO) annual report
provides an overview of the WDO scheme for interested
parties.
The WDO scheme was implemented as a trial in 2009 and
made permanent in 2011 after a positive evaluation. It is an
example of co-design and collaboration between
Government, community, health and private sectors to
deliver real community benefit to the people of NSW.
2 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Under the WDO scheme, disadvantaged people who have
fines can clear their debts by undertaking activities which
benefit them and the community. The scheme is limited to
people who have medical, mental health or addiction
problems; who have a cognitive impairment or intellectual
disability; who are homeless; or who are in financial hardship
(including under 18s).
WDOs are supervised by sponsors in the community,
including government agencies; non-government
organisations (such as charities); or health practitioners
(doctors, psychologists, nurses). For-profit organisations may
be approved on a case-by-case basis.
The activities that can be included are very broad and are
intended to benefit both the participant and the community.
These include: unpaid work; education, vocational or life
skills courses; financial and other types of counselling
(including case management); medical or mental health
treatment; drug or alcohol treatment; or mentoring (if the
person is under 25). A WDO can reduce fines debt by up to
$1,000 per month.
This annual report covers the WDO scheme as at 30 June
2019. Departments and statutory bodies involved with the
WDO scheme may be required to submit annual reports
under the Annual Reports (Departments) Act 1985 or Annual
Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984. Those departments
and statutory bodies are defined in the Public Finance and
Audit Act 1983.
This report is provided for information only and does not
meet or replace any other requirement to produce or submit
an annual report.
The annual reports of the key departments and the statutory
body responsible for overseeing governance of the WDO
scheme can be viewed at:
Department of Communities and Justice
www.justice.nsw.gov.au
Department of Customer Service
www.customerservice.nsw.gov.au
Legal Aid NSW
www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au
“The WDO program really
helps people connect with
their community.”
WDO sponsor
3 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
2 Message from the WDO
Governance Group
Welcome to the third edition of the WDO annual report. The WDO Governance Group met in July 2018 to establish a work plan for the 2018/19 financial year and we have worked systematically to implement the plan over the last year. I am pleased to share with you some of our achievements.
4 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Audit
The Department of Justice led a compliance audit of
approved WDO sponsors participating in the scheme.
Throughout 2018/19, the WDO Governance Group has
supported the audit team and we expect the final report to be
released in 2019.
Managing risk
As the WDO scheme grows, it is critical that the WDO
Governance Group continues to support the scheme through
appropriate governance. In 2018/19 we commenced work to
establish compliance and risk management frameworks. The
frameworks will outline our commitment to audit and quality
assurance to help sponsors meet their obligations under the
scheme and our commitment to identify and manage risks to
the scheme. This work will continue into 2019/20 financial
year.
Program logic
The WDO Governance Group engaged a consultant to assist
with the development of a program logic for the WDO
scheme. The program logic is intended to clearly articulate
the purpose and aims of the scheme and identify the
activities that lead to short, intermediate and longer term
outcomes of the program. The final version of the program
logic will be released in 2019.
Guidelines
In 2018/19 the WDO Governance Group continued its
ongoing review of the WDO Guidelines. Changes to the
Guidelines will be proposed this year to help WDO sponsors
better understand their obligations, manage risks to the
scheme and make sure the WDO scheme responds to
community needs and expectations.
Young people
The WDO Governance Group focused efforts on improving
access to WDOs for young people in 2018/19. We worked
closely with Police and Community Youth Club and Family
and Community Services to improve the uptake of WDOs by
young people. This follows changes to the WDO Guidelines
in 2017 to make all under 18s eligible for a WDO under the
acute economic hardship eligibility provision.
“(I) learnt a new trade,
learnt computer skills and
can now get my license.
I've had issues with fines for
20 years and just couldn't
manage to deal with it
and now I finally have it
under control.”
WDO participant
5 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
WDO self-service portal
Revenue NSW made significant upgrades to the online self-
service portal in 2018. These changes made the system
more user-friendly for sponsors and also helped sponsors
understand their obligations under the WDO Guidelines.
Nominated for Premier’s Award
Finally, I am pleased to share with you that the WDO
scheme has been nominated for a Premier’s award in the
category of ‘tackling longstanding social challenges’ which
recognises people and programs that deliver better social
outcomes for the most vulnerable people and equality of
opportunity for people across NSW. We look forward to
sharing the outcome with you after the award winners are
announced.
Thank you!
On behalf of the WDO Governance Group, I would like to
extend my most heart-felt appreciation to all WDO sponsors
who support the scheme and demonstrate their ongoing
commitment to improve the lives of WDO participants.
Kind regards
Kathrina Lo
Deputy Secretary, Justice Services
Department of Justice
“The WDO program is a
gateway for people who
have issues and have
never before seen a
psychologist or
psychiatrist.”
WDO sponsor
6 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
3 Governance & support In this section of the report, we have provided information
about how the Work and Development Order (WDO) scheme
is governed and the role that scheme partners play to
support it. In this section of the report, scheme partners
include the Department of Communities and Justice,
Revenue NSW and Legal Aid NSW.
About the WDO Governance Group
The WDO Governance Group oversees the WDO scheme to
make sure it is administered responsibly and in line with
Government and community expectations.
It is made up of representatives from the Department of
Communities and Justice, Revenue NSW and Legal Aid
NSW. The Group meets regularly and the meetings are
chaired by the Department of Communities and Justice.
The WDO Governance Group is responsible for:
▪ monitoring scheme performance against its objectives
▪ anticipating and responding to issues affecting WDO sponsors and clients
▪ interpreting the WDO Guidelines and recommending changes to the NSW Attorney General as required
▪ adjudicating and acting on instances where possible breaches of the Guidelines are brought to its attention, or where special consideration (as defined by the Guidelines) may be appropriate
▪ adopting planning, probity, due diligence and other practices designed to ensure the longevity and integrity of the WDO scheme by focusing efforts on scalability, risk mitigation and inclusive engagement with all key stakeholders and participants.
2020 vision
The WDO Governance Group has a clear vision for how the scheme will evolve into 2020 and beyond. Some focus areas include:
▪ reviewing and implementing recommendations from the recent audit of the WDO scheme
▪ recommending changes to the WDO Guidelines to the NSW Attorney General to respond to audit
"I come here off the
streets," he said. "I had
almost $9,000 worth of
debt and I was never
going to pay that back. It
took me nine months, but
I'm debt free."
WDO participant
From the Newcastle Herald,
22 February 2019, Max
McKinney
7 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
recommendations and address issues raised by scheme partners and WDO sponsors
▪ improving access to the WDO scheme to ensure it is administered responsibly and is available for those who genuinely need assistance
▪ developing resources to help WDO sponsors understand and comply with their obligations.
Department of Communities & Justice
The Department of Communities and Justice governs the WDO scheme by:
▪ chairing the WDO Governance Group ▪ coordinating updates to the WDO Guidelines ▪ auditing WDO sponsors to identify risks and areas for
improvement ▪ evaluating the WDO scheme to make sure it’s
achieving its stated objectives ▪ approving WDO sponsors.
Further, the Department of Communities and Justice helps to expand the scheme by working together with Legal Aid NSW to recruit sponsors at a high level, particularly within government.
The Diversity Services Unit within the Department of Communities and Justice also works to promote the scheme to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse community members and sponsors.
Revenue NSW
Revenue NSW supports WDO sponsors and customers through the WDO Hotline. Customers call the hotline to find out about WDOs and for help finding a sponsor. WDO sponsors call the hotline to enquire about signing up, to clarify the WDO Guidelines and for help with the WDO self-service portal.
The WDO Hotline is a team of specialist staff who are passionate about the scheme. Sponsors often give positive feedback about the personalised service provided on the WDO Hotline.
It may surprise you to know how busy the WDO Hotline is. In 2018/19, Revenue NSW answered 27,094 calls on the WDO Hotline.
"Today I'm halfway
through a [certificate] four
in community services," he
said. "My life is 100 per
cent different from what it
was like two years ago."
WDO participant
From the Newcastle Herald,
22 February 2019, Max
McKinney
8 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Legal Aid NSW
The Work and Development Order Service (WDO Service) at Legal Aid NSW was established in 2012. Staff in six locations across NSW provide fines advice, facilitate WDO placements for vulnerable clients and support the implementation and expansion of the WDO scheme in areas of high fines debt and social disadvantage.
Figure 3.1 – Locations of Legal Aid NSW WDO Service
The WDO Service recruits and trains sponsors, delivers an extensive community legal education program including outreach events, face to face training and webinars. Lawyers also provide fines advice and assistance services at fines clinics, outreach events and by phone.
Figure 3.2 – A new look for WDO resources
The WDO Service recently produced new look co-branded resources for people who are experiencing fines debt.
Legal Aid NSW achievements are summarised on the following page.
Get in touch!
We really want to hear from you. Any ideas, compliments, complaints, good news stories, or
other feedback can be shared with the WDO Governance Group by completing a feedback
form at:
https://www.apps08.osr.nsw.gov.au/customer_service/forms/wdo/feedback
9 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
10 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Revenue NSW WDO Hotline working in an integrated way with Legal Aid NSW
Robyn works on the Revenue NSW WDO Hotline. She took a call from Elizabeth*, who was
calling on behalf of her son Michael*, who has serious mental health problems and could
not deal with his fines by himself. One of Michael’s symptoms is that he finds it difficult to
converse with people he doesn’t know.
Robyn had to speak with Michael to ask for his permission to speak with Elizabeth about his
fines. Revenue NSW staff have undergone training to better understand the needs of
vulnerable people, so Robyn knew what techniques to use to put Michael at ease.
After obtaining Michael’s authority, she then spoke with Elizabeth about the situation. They
spoke about a WDO as a good option for Michael. During the conversation, Elizabeth told
Robyn about another legal issue she was facing; she and Michael were being evicted from
their home. Although this issue was not about fines, Robyn then referred Elizabeth to Legal
Aid to speak to Nicole and a civil solicitor for guidance about dealing with her legal
problems.
Revenue NSW knows that fines are often just one out of a number of legal problems faced
by customers. We have a very close working relationship with Legal Aid NSW and have
received training to help us identify legal issues and refer customers for legal assistance.
Elizabeth provided written feedback to Revenue NSW about her experience:
“Robyn needed to speak to him (Michael) to verify that I could talk on his behalf as
his representative & after the conversation with her, I could see she put him at ease
& he actually was smiling - what a change in his demeanour!!! She then continued to
assist me in the most caring manner, giving me all the facts relating to his situation.
It was apparent from the beginning, she showed natural empathy when telling her of
the situation. I can honestly say without hesitation that Robyn was/is outstanding in
her role - feeling her determination to assist & simplify the process to move forward.
I also felt comfortable enough to discuss another pressing matter of our eviction
from our present rental. Robyn then suggested that she connect me to Nicole who
works at Wollongong Legal Aid, who could further assist me with the matter of
dealing with NCAT (NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal). She was amazingly
helpful as well.
What could have been an extremely stressful situation, due to Robyn, turned out to
be a positive experience & I thank her for that!”
*Name changed for this story
11 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
4 WDO sponsors
Leeton Community Op Shop – Big heart in a small community
The Leeton Community Op Shop is a WDO sponsor that proudly represents the community
and its volunteers throughout the store.
The large area combines personal touches with community spirit including a quirky display
of turkey serving platters and a dressing room themed as an outback toilet. There are
words of wisdom within and throughout the shop. There is a lounge area for the not so
serious shopper or the avid reader. For those who have limited access to the virtual world,
there are computers and free wi-fi to allow that connection.
Just when you think the shop could not offer more, there is the “Leeton Cannery Tea
House” that provides a breakfast and, during the day, a meal and coffee. For those who
enjoy these finer luxuries, you can also pay it forward to allow someone who can’t. At the
tea shop a beautiful mural painted by a local shows what this community means. And
community includes food donations from Woolworths, Baiada Chickens (Steggles) and JBS
Riverina Beef.
The heart of the shop is, however, the workers, who are a beautiful blend of old and young,
men and women, volunteering through programs such as the WDO scheme, work for the
dole, over 50s work program, Kurrajong Waratah and Flourish. They also do a sports
program for children who don’t want to undertake high school sport; instead, they volunteer.
And of course, they recycle the unusable Manchester by making rags; a role that is tasked
to the men of the shop.
All volunteers are appreciated for their contributions and those who have committed
themselves to service are even posthumously awarded on an honours wall by a fitting
artwork.
Brett Woolnough,
Jodie Ridge and Sean
Warburton – Leeton
Community Op Shop,
July 2019
Thank you Jodie,
Narelle and your team
of volunteers for your
ongoing support to
WDOs, Leeton and the
wider community.
12 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Introduction
In 2018/19, Revenue NSW and the Department of Communities and Justice made the
following changes to how WDO sponsors maintain their registration:
▪ the WDO self-service portal was upgraded so that sponsors are required to confirm
annually that they still have current insurance, have appropriately qualified staff to
deliver the activities they are approved for, and have a current Working With Children
Check, and
▪ WDO sponsor registrations will lapse if a WDO sponsor has not supported a WDO
client in the previous 12 months.
These changes were important to us because we want to be confident that WDO participants
are safe, receiving appropriate support and are covered if something goes wrong. We also
wanted to be sure that the list of WDO sponsors on the Revenue NSW website only contains
information about sponsors who are actively participating in the WDO scheme.
As a result of these changes, the number of approved WDO sponsors has reduced since last
year’s annual report. However, we are confident the updated figures are a much more
accurate representation of active WDO sponsors in the community.
We would again like to thank all of our WDO sponsors for their support and commitment to the
scheme’s success.
Legal Aid NSW story - Building relationships with community partners
Social Futures, formerly known as Northern Rivers Social Development Council, have been
a WDO not-for-profit sponsor since February 2015. Since that time they have grown in size
and currently operate various teams throughout the Northern Rivers working in their priority
areas of housing and homelessness, youth and family services, and disability services.
Social Futures have recently established a new program called Opportunity Pathways,
which supports adults who live in or are eligible for social housing to access education,
training and work opportunities.
Legal Aid’s Northern NSW WDO Team was contacted by the manager of the new team,
who had just re-joined Social Futures after working elsewhere for some time. She had
previously worked with the Legal Aid NSW team when initially registering the service as a
sponsor in 2015, and Legal Aid NSW had conducted training sessions for her teams in
Lismore and Grafton. She was keen for the new Opportunity Pathways team to receive
training as soon as possible, and Legal Aid NSW has now completed the training sessions
for them in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
13 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
All data in this section of the report is based on data as at 30 June 2019. It does not include
sponsor applications that were submitted but not approved on 30 June 2019.
WDO sponsor approvals in 2018/19
In 2018/19, 390 new WDO sponsors were approved. In total, there were 2,114 approved
sponsors as at 30 June 2019.
Table 4.1 – Approved WDO sponsors by type
WDO sponsor type Sponsors approved in
2018/19
Approved sponsors - total
Health practitioner 231 876
Non-government organisation 93 893
Government organisation 52 318
For-profit organisation 14 27
Total 390 2,114
Figure 4.1 compares the types of WDO sponsors approved and shows that in 2018/19 a
higher percentage of health practitioners were approved compared with other types.
Figure 4.1 – Comparison of sponsor approvals in 2018/19
59
%
24
%
13
%
4%
41
%
42
%
15
%
1%
H E A L T H P R A C T I T I O N E R
N O N - G O V E R N M E N T O R G A N I S A T I O N
G O V E R N M E N T O R G A N I S A T I O N
F O R - P R O F I T O R G A N I S A T I O N
Sponsors approved in 2018/19 Approved sponsors - total
14 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Location of WDO sponsors in NSW
Table 4.2 shows the number of approved WDO sponsors by NSW statistical division.
Sponsors outside of NSW are not included.
Table 4.2 – Approved WDO sponsors by statistical division
Statistical division Sponsors approved - 2018/19
Approved sponsors - total
Capital Region 11 92
Central Coast 21 85
Central West 15 67
Coffs Harbour - Grafton 13 78
Darling Downs - Maranoa - 1
Far West and Orana 8 52
Hunter Valley exc Newcastle 6 35
Illawarra 20 162
Mid North Coast 8 65
Mornington Peninsula - 1
Murray 9 56
New England and North West 20 71
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie 23 89
Richmond - Tweed 19 113
Riverina 3 20
Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven
10 55
Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury
12 45
Sydney - Blacktown 12 81
Sydney - City and Inner South 33 206
Sydney - Eastern Suburbs 9 57
Sydney - Inner South West 22 114
Sydney - Inner West 20 72
Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby
13 78
Sydney - Northern Beaches 6 39
Sydney - Outer South West 6 20
Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains
10 59
Sydney - Parramatta 20 128
Sydney - Ryde 1 7
Sydney - South West 14 57
Sydney - Sutherland 6 38
West and North West - 1
Total 390 2044
15 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figures 4.2 and 4.3 show the geographic dispersion of all approved WDO sponsors in NSW as
at 2018/19. The statistical division or area is determined by the WDO sponsor’s postcode;
however, we acknowledge that many WDO sponsors support WDOs for customers outside of
their own area.
Figure 4.2 – Geographic dispersion of all approved WDO sponsors in NSW
Figure 4.3 - Geographic dispersion of all approved WDO sponsors in Sydney
Sydney48.97%
Illawarra7.93%
Capital Region4.50%
Southern Highlands and
Shoalhaven2.69%
Central Coast4.16%
Darling Downs - Maranoa0.05%
Central West3.28%
Coffs Harbour - Grafton3.82% Far West and Orana
2.54%
Hunter Valley exc Newcastle
1.71%
Mid North Coast3.18%
Mornington Peninsula
0.05%
Richmond - Tweed5.53%
Murray2.74%
New England and North West
3.47%Riverina0.98%
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie4.35%
West and North West0.05%
Other51.03%
Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury4%
Blacktown8%
City and Inner South20%
Eastern Suburbs6%
Outer South West2%
North Sydney and Hornsby8%
Inner South West11%
Northern Beaches4%
Inner West7%
Outer West and Blue Mountains
6%
Parramatta13%
Ryde1%
South West6%
Sutherland4%
16 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
WDO sponsors outside of NSW
In 2018/19, WDO sponsors located outside of NSW continued to join the WDO scheme to
support people who have NSW fines debt. Table 4.3 shows the number of WDO sponsors
approved outside of NSW in 2018/19, compared with all WDO sponsors approved outside of
NSW as at 30 June 2019. Figure 4.4 shows the dispersion of all WDO sponsors approved
outside of NSW as at 30 June 2019.
Table 4.3 – Number of WDO sponsors approved outside of NSW
State or Territory Sponsors approved in 2018/19
Approved sponsors - total
ACT 2 13
QLD 14 33
TAS 1 2
VIC 2 19
WA 1 3
Total 20 70
Figure 4.4 – Dispersion of WDO sponsors approved outside of NSW
ACT19%
QLD47%
TAS3%
VIC27%
WA4%
17 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
5 Scheme overview
Growth in WDOs approved
The WDO scheme continued to grow in 2018/19. As at 30 June 2019, a total of 135,044
WDOs have been approved. Figure 5.1 shows the increase in number of WDOs approved per
month since the scheme commenced.
Table 5.1 – WDOs approved per month since 2012
Financial year Number of WDOs approved
Increase on previous year
2018/19 32,214 13%
2017/18 28,456 23%
2016/17 23,122 29%
2015/16 17,857 29%
2014/15 13,820 22%
2013/14 11,354 63%
2012/13 6,960 452%
2011/12 1,261 -
Total 135,665 -
Table 5.1 shows the number of WDOs approved per financial year and the rate at which the
scheme has grown since it commenced. The rate of growth in 2018/19 has slowed to a 13%
increase on the previous year.
Figure 5.1 – WDOs approved by financial year
The number of WDOs approved each month continued to increase in 2018/19. May 2019 was
a record month with 3,462 WDOs approved.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
18 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 5.2 shows the number of WDOs approved in 2018/19 and the value of debt attached to
those WDOs at the time they were approved.
Table 5.2 – WDOs approved in 2018/19
Month Number of WDOs approved
Value of debt attached to WDOs
(at time of approval)
Jul 2,720 $9,557,485
Aug 2,843 $10,575,311
Sep 2,346 $8,169,725
Oct 2,794 $9,961,759
Nov 2,664 $8,918,399
Dec 1,549 $3,405,215
Jan 2,413 $4,990,814
Feb 2,777 $5,300,778
Mar 3,244 $5,505,729
Apr 2,711 $4,539,425
May 3,462 $6,262,939
Jun 2,691 $5,427,908
Grand Total 32,214 $82,615,490
Debt cleared through WDOs
In total, $167m of debt has been cleared through WDOs since the scheme commenced.
Table 5.3 – Debt cleared through WDOs
Financial year Value of debt cleared
2018/19 $43,144,026
2017/18 $34,713,740
2016/17 $27,607,954
2015/16 $22,029,150
2014/15 $17,305,153
2013/14 $14,664,000
2012/13 $7,641,542
2011/12 $676,931
Total $167,782,496
The value of debt cleared through WDOs increased in 2018/19, in line with the volume of
WDOs approved. The WDO scheme met a milestone in May 2019 when $4.2m of debt was
cleared through WDOs. This is the highest amount of debt cleared in a single month since the
WDO scheme commenced.
19 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 5.4 – Debt cleared through WDOs in 2018/19
Month Value of debt cleared
Jul $3,481,501
Aug $3,638,605
Sep $3,430,345
Oct $3,688,363
Nov $3,728,171
Dec $3,163,430
Jan $3,228,572
Feb $3,365,008
Mar $3,851,459
Apr $3,532,765
May $4,208,846
Jun $3,826,960
Total $43,144,026
Closed WDOs
WDOs can be closed for a number of reasons. One of the most positive outcomes is that a
WDO is closed because all debt attached to the WDO has been cleared and there is a zero
balance. In 2018/19, 15,823 WDOs were closed with a zero balance, representing 55% of all
closed WDOs.
Figure 5.2 – WDOs closed in 2018/19 by reasons
Zero balance55%
Changed circumstances
8%
Non-compliance19%
Program/treatment ended
12%
Other6%
20 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
6 WDO participants
Getting back on track
Chris Bowden, 31, worked with the Samaritans Foundation at Broadmeadow to clear almost $9,000.
"I come here off the streets," he said. "I had almost $9,000 worth of debt and I was never going to pay that back. It took me nine months, but I'm debt free."
Mr Bowden completed an addict recovery program, undertook voluntary work with Samaritans that eventually led to mentoring ex-prisoners, and education courses.
He said his life had "turned around completely" from the WDO-initiated activities.
"Today I'm halfway through a [certificate] four in community services," he said. "My life is 100 per cent different from what it was like two years ago."
Excerpt and image from the Newcastle Herald, 22 February 2019, Max McKinney
Meg Everingham (Legal Aid NSW), Judy Gresham (Samaritans Foundation) and Chris Bowen Picture by Max McKinney, Newcastle Herald, 22 February 2019
21 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Age
People aged between 26 and 45 accounted for 50% of WDOs approved in 2018/19.
Participation by young people remained strong with 1,607 under 18s and 6,426 people aged
between 18 and 25 approved for a WDO in 2018/19.
Table 6.1 – WDOs approved in 2018/19 by participant age
Age WDOs approved in 2018/19
Under 18 1,607
18 to 25 6,462
26 to 35 8,350
36 to 45 7,605
46 to 55 4,832
56 to 70 2,122
Over 70 1,236
Total 32,214
The age distribution of WDO participants remained similar to the previous financial year.
Figure 6.1 – Distribution of approved WDOs in 2018/19 by age
Gender
In 2018/19, more than 65% of WDOs were for males. There were 40 participants who
identified with a non-specific gender.
Under 185%
18 to 2520%
26 to 3526%
36 to 4524%
46 to 5515%
56 to 706%
Over 704%
22 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 6.2 – WDOs approved in 2018/19 by participant gender
Gender WDOs approved in 2018/19
Male 21,175
Female 10,999
Non-specific 40
Total 32,214
Figure 6.2 – Gender of WDO applicants in 2018/19
Centrelink status
Sixty per cent of WDO applicants in 2018/19 indicated that they receive a Centrelink benefit.
This continues a small downward trend from previous years.
Table 6.3 – Centrelink status
Financial year % of applicants receiving Centrelink
2018/19 60%
2017/18 62%
2016/17 65%
2015/16 66%
2014/15 69%
WDO sponsors
In 2018/19, not for profit organisations were again the biggest supporter of WDOs, helping
14,957 people to participate in the scheme. Health practitioners supported 20% of WDOs
approved in 2018/19, representing a 3% increase on the previous year.
Figure 6.3 – WDOs approved in 2018/19 by sponsor type
Male66%
Female34%
Non-specific0.15%
23 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
We compared sponsor types by the age groups of WDO participants they supported in
2018/19. Government agencies tended to support younger applicants, whereas health
practitioners tended to support middle-aged applicants. Applicant age was more evenly
distributed for WDO participants supported by not for profit organisations.
Figure 6.4 – Sponsor type by age range in 2018/19
Government Agency
33%Health
Practitioner20%
Not for Profit Organisation
46%For profit
organisation1%
48
%
29
%
38
%
35
%
27
%
15
%
36
%
3%
16
% 19
% 21
%
27
%
33
%
18
%
48
%
55
%
43
%
43
% 45
%
51
%
45
%
1% 1%
1% 1% 1%
1% 1%
U N D E R 1 8 1 8 T O 2 5 2 6 T O 3 5 3 6 T O 4 5 4 6 T O 5 5 5 6 T O 7 0 O V E R 7 0
Government Agency Health Practitioner
Not for Profit Organisation For profit organisation
24 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
We also compared sponsor type by gender of WDO applicants in 2018/19. Males were more
likely to be supported by a Government agency, whereas females were more likely to seek the
assistance of a not-for profit organisation.
Figure 6.5 – Sponsor type by gender in 2018/19
22
%
36
% 42
% 46
%
78
%
64
%
58
%
54
%
0.0
5%
0.1
6%
0.1
7%
0.0
0%
G O V E R N M E N T A G E N C Y
H E A L T H P R A C T I T I O N E R
N O T F O R P R O F I T O R G A N I S A T I O N
F O R P R O F I T O R G A N I S A T I O N
Female Male Non-specific
WDO Champions – helping regional communities to get on top of their fines
The Legal Aid NSW WDO service works closely with WDO sponsors in regional and
remote areas of NSW. Many of these sponsors are WDO champions. These
sponsors are willing to assist vulnerable people to pay off their fines through both
direct WDO activities at their services but also on referral. This means that clients
who may already be engaged with another service or health practitioner can use the
hours of their existing activities towards their WDO hours.
We would like to thank two of our champion WDO sponsors who are always willing
to help anyone we refer to them - Warilla North Community Centre in Wollongong
and the Volunteer Resource Bureau in Albury. The Volunteer Rescue Bureau in
Albury also assists cross border clients with NSW fines to complete their WDO hours
in their hometowns in Victoria with a suitable service or health practitioner.
25 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
7 Eligibility & activities
Getting treatment while paying off his fines
In 2016 John* was referred to Legal Aid NSW by Revenue NSW with a debt of over $30,000.
John was recently released from custody and was suffering from a range of personal issues
including addiction and mental illness. John was having trouble engaging in mental health
treatment but when he heard that attending appointments would help him pay $1,000 a month
off his fines, he was surprised and agreed to engage with a psychologist.
After the initial consultation, the WDO psychologist created a treatment plan which included
pro bono sessions beyond the limited sessions currently available through Medicare. John has
been compliant with the treatment plan since 2016. John recently reengaged with Legal Aid
NSW who noticed since doing his treatment under the WDO he had not re-offended and his
mental health and addiction issues were under control. John is still engaged with the WDO
sponsor but on a maintenance basis only. John also has a job and doesn’t need Centrelink
benefits. John has said he is in a much better place without the stresses he once had. He
plans to continue seeing his psychologist after his fines have been paid in full.
* Name changed for this story
26 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Eligibility reasons
The most common eligibility reason in 2018/19 was acute economic hardship, followed closely by mental illness and serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances.
Figure 7.1 shows the split between eligibility reasons. Table 7.1 shows the number of WDOs approved for each eligibility reason.
Figure 7.1 – Eligibility reasons for WDOs approved in 2018/19
Table 7.1 –WDOs approved in 2018/19 by eligibility reason
Applicants can choose multiple eligibility reasons. Therefore, some WDOs will be counted in
multiple categories.
Eligibility reason Number of WDOs approved
Acute economic hardship 12,424
Mental illness 10,164
Serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances
9,802
Homelessness 2,219
Acute economic hardship (under 18s) 1,356
Intellectual disability or cognitive impairment 749
Acute economic hardship
34%
Mental illness27%
Serious addiction to
drugs, alcohol or
volatile substances
27%
Homelessness6%
Acute economic hardship
(under 18s)4%
Intellectual disability or
cognitive impairment
2%
27 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
We also compared eligibility reasons in 2018/19 by participants’ gender. Figure 7.2 compares
the eligibility reasons for female and male participants. Female applicants were more likely to
apply because of acute economic hardship and less likely to apply because of serious
addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances.
Figure 7.2 – Eligibility reasons for female and male applicants in 2018/19
Figure 7.3 shows the eligibility reasons chosen by people who identify with a non-specific
gender. Mental illness was more common amongst this group of applicants.
Figure 7.3 – Eligibility reasons in 2018/19 for applicants identifying with a non-specific
gender
39
%
29
%
22
%
7%
3%
1%
31
%
27
% 29
%
6%
4%
3%
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
ME
NT
AL
IL
LN
ES
S
SE
RIO
US
AD
DIC
TIO
N T
O
DR
UG
S,
AL
CO
HO
L O
R
VO
LA
TIL
E S
UB
ST
AN
CE
S
HO
ME
LE
SS
NE
SS
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
(U
ND
ER
18
S)
INT
EL
LE
CT
UA
L
DIS
AB
ILIT
Y O
R
CO
GN
ITIV
E I
MP
AIR
ME
NT
Females Males
Mental illness39%
Acute economic hardship (under
18s)4%
Acute economic hardship
29%
Serious addiction to
drugs, alcohol or volatile
substances7%
Homelessness14%
Intellectual disability or
cognitive impairment
7%
28 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Activities
The most common activity in 2018/19 was drug or alcohol treatment, which is consistent with
previous years. This was closely followed by medical or mental health treatment and
educational, vocational or life skills courses.
Figure 7.4 shows the split between activity types. Table 7.2 shows the number of WDOs approved for each activity type.
Figure 7.4 – Activity types in 2018/19
Table 7.2 – WDOs approved in 2018/19 by activity type
Activity type Number of WDOs approved
Drug or alcohol treatment 9,992
Medical or mental health treatment 8,749
Educational, vocational or life skills course 7,851
Financial or other counselling 3,479
Unpaid work 2,883
Mentoring (for under 25s) 1,292
Financial or other
counselling10%
Mentoring (for under 25s)
4%
Educational, vocational or
life skills course23%
Medical or mental health
treatment26%
Drug or alcohol treatment
29%
Unpaid work8%
29 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
We also compared WDO activity types in 2018/19 by participants’ gender. Figure 7.5
compares the activity types for female and male participants. Female applicants were more
likely than males to undertake financial or other counselling and less likely than males to
undertake drug or alcohol treatment or education as their nominated WDO activity.
Figure 7.5 – Activity types undertaken by female and male applicants in 2018/19
Figure 7.6 shows the activity types undertaken by people who identify with a non-specific
gender. Medical or mental health treatment and counselling was more common amongst this
group of applicants.
Figure 7.6 – Activities in 2018/19 for applicants identifying with a non-specific gender
16
%
3%
20
%
28
%
24
%
9%
7%
4%
25
%
24
%
32
%
8%
FIN
AN
CIA
L O
R O
TH
ER
C
OU
NS
EL
LIN
G
ME
NT
OR
ING
(F
OR
UN
DE
R
25
S)
ED
UC
AT
ION
AL
, V
OC
AT
ION
AL
OR
LIF
E
SK
ILL
S C
OU
RS
E
ME
DIC
AL
OR
ME
NT
AL
H
EA
LT
H T
RE
AT
ME
NT
DR
UG
OR
AL
CO
HO
L
TR
EA
TM
EN
T
UN
PA
ID W
OR
K
Females Males
Financial or other
counselling26%
Mentoring (for under 25s)
10%
Educational, vocational or
life skills course14%
Medical or mental health
treatment38%
Drug or alcohol treatment
7%
Unpaid work5%
30 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
8 Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander People
In this section of the report, we look at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s experience with the WDO scheme.
We are proud that the last financial year continued a trend of strong participation in WDOs by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
31 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Participation
In total, 6,747 WDOs were approved in
2018/19, representing 20.9% of all
WDOs. The average debt of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander participants
was 17% higher than the average debt
of non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander people. In 2018/19, Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander participants
cleared $9.07m of debt through WDOs.
Figure 8.1 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in WDOs in 2018/19
Helping Aboriginal clients deal with their fines
Jane* is a young Aboriginal woman from the mid-north coast of NSW. She is a single
parent with three children, including a foster child. She lives on the parenting pension
and struggles to cover her day to day living costs.
Jane came to see Legal Aid NSW to get help with her fines and loss of driver licence.
Jane owed $5,000 in fines from when she was a teenager. Her driver’s licence was
suspended under a habitual traffic offender declaration and she had RMS business
restriction due to the fines debt. Jane needed to get her licence back as public transport
is limited in her area.
The Legal Aid WDO team referred Jane to her local neighbourhood centre who is a
WDO sponsor and they got her involved in their parenting skills program. With her fines
under management, the RMS business restriction was lifted. Legal Aid also assisted
Jane to make a successful application to the Local Court to have her habitual traffic
offender declaration quashed. Jane now has her driver licence back as well as new
parenting skills to cope better with her day to day life as single mother.
* Name changed for this story
Non-Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander
79%
Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander
21%
32 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 8.1 – Number of WDOs approved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2018/19
Month Number of WDOs approved
Value of debt attached to WDOs at time of
approval
Jul 598 $ 2,506,687
Aug 601 $ 2,476,835
Sep 495 $ 1,935,065
Oct 604 $ 2,288,942
Nov 559 $ 2,190,432
Dec 306 $ 863,324
Jan 497 $ 1,274,507
Feb 629 $ 1,318,116
Mar 723 $ 1,328,122
Apr 517 $ 942,673
May 655 $ 1,322,482
Jun 563 $ 1,073,742
Total 6747 $ 19,520,927
Demographics
The gender distribution of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander WDO participants in 2018/19
was similar to non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander WDO participants. Table 8.2 shows the
number of WDOs approved for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people in 2018/19 by their
gender.
Table 8.2 – Number of WDOs approved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
in 2018/19 by gender
Gender Number of WDOs approved
Male 4,295
Female 2,447
Non-specific 5
In 2018/19, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander WDO participants tended to be younger than
non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants. 82% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander WDO participants were under 45, compared with 73% of non-Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander WDO participants.
33 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 8.2 – Age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in 2018/19
Eligibility reasons
The most common eligibility reason for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander WDO participants
in 2018/19 was acute economic hardship, followed by serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or
volatile substances. WDO participants can choose multiple eligibility reasons, so WDOs may
be counted in multiple categories.
Table 8.3 – Eligibility reasons for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in
2018/19
Eligibility reasons Number of WDOs approved
Acute economic hardship 3,123
Serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances 2,379
Mental illness 1,254
Homelessness 515
Acute economic hardship (under 18s) 477
Intellectual disability or cognitive impairment 227
We compared eligibility reasons for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander WDO participants in
2018/19 with non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander participants were significantly less likely to apply on the basis of mental illness.
8%
25
%
29
%
20
%
12
%
3% 3%4
%
19
%
25
%
25
%
16
%
8%
4%
U N D E R 1 8 1 8 T O 2 5 2 6 T O 3 5 3 6 T O 4 5 4 6 T O 5 5 5 6 T O 7 0 O V E R 7 0
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
34 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 8.3 – Comparison of eligibility reasons for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in 2018/19
Activities
The most common activity types for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander WDO participants in
2018/19 were drug or alcohol treatment and educational, vocational or life skills courses. WDO
participants can undertake multiple activity types on a WDO. Therefore, WDOs may be
counted in multiple categories.
Table 8.4 – Activity types for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2018/19
Activity type Number of WDOs approved
Drug or alcohol treatment 2,343
Educational, vocational or life skills course 2,308
Medical or mental health treatment 953
Financial or other counselling 788
Unpaid work 497
Mentoring (for under 25s) 419
We compared activity types undertaken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander WDO
participants in 2018/19 with non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants. Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander participants were significantly less likely to undertake medical or
mental health treatment and more likely to undertake education, vocational or life skills
courses.
30
%
39
%
6%
3%
16
%
6%
26
%
32
%
6%
2%
31
%
3%
SE
RIO
US
AD
DIC
TIO
N T
O
DR
UG
S,
AL
CO
HO
L O
R
VO
LA
TIL
E S
UB
ST
AN
CE
S
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
HO
ME
LE
SS
NE
SS
INT
EL
LE
CT
UA
L D
ISA
BIL
ITY
O
R C
OG
NIT
IVE
IM
PA
IRM
EN
T
ME
NT
AL
IL
LN
ES
S
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
(U
ND
ER
18
S)
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
35 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 8.4 – Comparison of activity types for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in 2018/19
32
%
32
%
13
%
11
%
7%
6%
28
%
21
%
29
%
10
%
9%
3%
DR
UG
OR
AL
CO
HO
L
TR
EA
TM
EN
T
ED
UC
AT
ION
AL
, V
OC
AT
ION
AL
OR
LIF
E
SK
ILL
S C
OU
RS
E
ME
DIC
AL
OR
ME
NT
AL
H
EA
LT
H T
RE
AT
ME
NT
FIN
AN
CIA
L O
R O
TH
ER
C
OU
NS
EL
LIN
G
UN
PA
ID W
OR
K
ME
NT
OR
ING
(F
OR
UN
DE
R
25
S)
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
36 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
9 Culturally &
Linguistically Diverse
People
Culturally diverse clients – dealing with fines debt while building new skills
Aysha* is a single mother who moved to the Wollongong area from Iraq in 2013. Aysha has a
physical disability which affects her ability to walk long distances. Aysha relies on driving
herself and her children to and from their family commitments like school and her TAFE
courses where she is learning English and skills to get work.
Aysha has a Mobility Parking Scheme permit (disability sticker) for her car but due to her limited
English language skills found it difficult when she first got it to understand the rules around
displaying the sticker and where she could park. This resulted in Aysha getting a number of
fines which she could not pay. When Aysha came to Legal Aid to get help with her fines they
were able to link her TAFE studies with a WDO and she has now repaid all her fines. They
have also helped Aysha to understand the rules around her Disability Parking sticker to prevent
her getting any more fines.
* Not her real name
37 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Navitas Australia – English classes for recently arrived refugees and migrants
The Department of Communities and Justice, Diversity Services team together with Legal Aid
NSW, Refugee Service extensively promoted and provided information to Navitas English
encouraging them to sign up as WDO sponsors. This was achieved through various
community engagement events throughout the year.
Legal Aid NSW WDO Service further supported sign up of Navitas English. Navitas English
offers the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and Skills for Education and Employment
(SEE) program as approved WDO activities. A majority of the people they service are
recently arrived refugees and migrants.
Since becoming a registered WDO sponsor, the staff of Navitas have received ongoing
training and support from the Legal Aid NSW Sydney metro team. Legal Aid NSW was also
very proud to be part of Navitas multicultural day at Cabramatta.
Diversity Services continues to provide information sessions to students, in partnership with
Legal Aid NSW services, NSW Police, government and non-Government agencies. The team
continues to work collaboratively, co-presenting information sessions to students with limited
English information regarding Legal Aid NSW services, with a focus on fines law and the
WDO scheme.
Image: Marina Attala and Giuliana Burgos-Portugal (Legal Aid NSW)
38 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
WDO postcard in community languages
We are pleased to report that the WDO postcard is now available in 6 community languages:
▪ Arabic ▪ Assyrian ▪ Chinese (simplified) ▪ Dari/Farsi ▪ English ▪ Vietnamese
You can order these resources online through the Legal Aid NSW publications page:
www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/publications/order-a-publication
A big thank you to the team at Legal Aid NSW, and the Diversity Services Unit at the
Department of Communities and Justice, for developing these fantastic resources.
39 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Participation
In 2018/19, 15% of WDOs approved were for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
(CALD) communities. This represents a slight increase from the previous year (13%). The
average debt per CALD participant was $1,875, which was 30% less than non-CALD
participants. In total, CALD people cleared $5.3m in debt through participation in WDOs in
2018/19.
Figure 9.1 – Rate of participation in WDOs by CALD people
Table 9.1 – WDOs approved in 2018/19 for CALD people
Month Number of WDOs approved
Value of debt attached to WDOs at time of approval
Jul 394 $978,060.95
Aug 415 $1,297,207.91
Sep 311 $925,363.64
Oct 372 $906,212.28
Nov 422 $944,041.86
Dec 213 $245,911.47
Jan 327 $531,692.47
Feb 428 $732,068.04
Mar 465 $488,312.11
Apr 411 $466,684.20
May 526 $864,218.53
Jun 416 $433,450.52
Total 4,700 $8,813,223.98
Non-CALD people85%
CALD people15%
40 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Demographics
In 2018/19, 65% of CALD WDO participants were male and 35% were female. This distribution
is similar to non-CALD participants. Six CALD participants identified with a non-specific
gender.
The age distribution was also similar between CALD and non-CALD participants in 2018/19.
There were slight differences in the 26-35 years old range (CALD = 22%, non-CALD = 27%)
and 56-70 years old range (CALD = 10%, non-CALD = 6%).
There was no difference in Centrelink status between CALD and non-CALD participants. In
both groups, 60% of applicants received a Centrelink benefit.
The most notable difference in demographics between CALD and non-CALD people was
location, where known, with 62% of CALD participants located in Sydney, compared with 31%
of non-CALD participants.
Eligibility reasons
The most common eligibility reason for CALD participants in 2018/19 was acute economic hardship. WDO participants may choose multiple eligibility reasons. Therefore, WDOs may be counted in multiple categories.
Table 9.2 – Eligibility reasons for CALD people in 2018/19
Eligibility reasons Number of WDOs approved
Acute economic hardship 2,308
Mental illness 1,541
Serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances
918
Homelessness 208
Acute economic hardship (under 18s) 205
Intellectual disability or cognitive impairment 52
CALD people were much more likely than non-CALD people to apply because of acute economic hardship, and less likely to apply because of serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances.
41 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 9.2 – Comparison of eligibility reasons between CALD and non-CALD people in 2018/19
Activities
The most common activity types for CALD WDO participants in 2018/19 were medical or
mental health treatment and educational, vocational or life skills courses. WDO participants
can undertake multiple activity types on a WDO. Therefore, WDOs may be counted in multiple
categories.
Table 9.3 – Activity types for CALD people in 2018/19
Activity type Number of WDOs approved
Medical or mental health treatment 1,384
Educational, vocational or life skills course 1,174
Drug or alcohol treatment 901
Unpaid work 738
Financial or other counselling 661
Mentoring (for under 25s) 166
44
%
29
%
18
%
4%
4%
1%
32
%
27
%
28
%
6%
4%
2%
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
ME
NT
AL
IL
LN
ES
S
SE
RIO
US
AD
DIC
TIO
N T
O
DR
UG
S,
AL
CO
HO
L O
R
VO
LA
TIL
E S
UB
ST
AN
CE
S
HO
ME
LE
SS
NE
SS
AC
UT
E E
CO
NO
MIC
H
AR
DS
HIP
(U
ND
ER
18
S)
INT
EL
LE
CT
UA
L D
ISA
BIL
ITY
O
R C
OG
NIT
IVE
IM
PA
IRM
EN
T
CALD Non-CALD
42 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
We compared activity types undertaken by CALD WDO participants in 2018/19 with non-CALD
participants. CALD participants were significantly less likely to undertake drug or alcohol
treatment and more likely to undertake unpaid work.
Figure 9.3 – Comparison of activity types for CALD and non-CALD participants in 2018/19
18
%
23
%
28
%
13
% 15
%
3%
31
%
23
% 25
%
10
%
7%
4%
DR
UG
OR
AL
CO
HO
L
TR
EA
TM
EN
T
ED
UC
AT
ION
AL
, V
OC
AT
ION
AL
OR
LIF
E
SK
ILL
S C
OU
RS
E
ME
DIC
AL
OR
ME
NT
AL
H
EA
LT
H T
RE
AT
ME
NT
FIN
AN
CIA
L O
R O
TH
ER
C
OU
NS
EL
LIN
G
UN
PA
ID W
OR
K
ME
NT
OR
ING
(F
OR
U
ND
ER
25
S)
CALD Non-CALD
43 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
10 Young people
Karina Inostroza, Legal Aid NSW,
presenting Kalissa with her WDO
Certificate of Achievement
Kalissa – help at school
Kalissa is a young Indigenous woman with some fines. Kalissa attends a school that is
the most disadvantaged in NSW because of the distance that students travel, the socio-
economic status of the household and because a large number of the students are living
in out of home care.
Kalissa’s teachers noticed that she
was having some challenges at
school. Kalissa’s school had signed up
to be a WDO sponsor. The Assistant
Principal spoke with Kalissa about her
issues and found out that she had
fines.
One activity that could address her
fines and also help her was to see the
school counsellor. Kalissa agreed to
see the school counsellor and quickly
cleared her fines.
After this engagement, Kalissa’s
outlook to life changed. She can now
get a driver licence which changed the
way she got around, as before she
would not go anywhere and now she
goes everywhere.
Kalissa now picks up and drops off her
younger siblings at school and has
been able to help her Mum. She has
now completed a traffic controller’s
card course and will soon be getting a
job.
44 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
The Fines Act 1996 and the WDO Guidelines 2017 provide specific concessions for young
people under 18 and young people under 25. This section of the report provides information
about both groups.
Participation
In 2018/19, 25% of approved WDOs were for people under 25 years of age. This is a similar distribution to the previous financial year.
Figure 10.1 – Age distribution of WDO participants in 2018/19
In 2018/19, 1,607 young people under 18 and 8,069 young people under 25 were approved for a WDO.
Table 10.1 – Number and value of WDOs approved in 2018/19 for young people
Month Number of WDOs approved Debt attached to WDOs at time of approval
Under 18
Under 25 Under 18 Under 25
Jul 146 655 $ 154,167 $ 1,625,530
Aug 152 726 $ 119,898 $ 1,728,320
Sep 122 587 $ 73,321 $ 1,327,562
Oct 146 698 $ 108,574 $ 1,615,843
Nov 168 738 $ 173,760 $ 1,513,900
Dec 78 382 $ 46,982 $ 619,571
Jan 95 558 $ 63,476 $ 843,947
Feb 133 681 $ 78,376 $ 874,866
Mar 171 820 $ 83,469 $ 967,900
Apr 82 598 $ 40,564 $ 806,354
May 160 900 $ 61,097 $ 988,027
Jun 154 726 $ 70,188 $ 823,772
Total 1,607 8,069 $ 1,073,874 $ 13,735,593
Note: Under 25 refers to all participants under 25, including those under 18.
Under 185%
18 to 2520%
26 to 3526%
36 to 4524%
46 to 5515%
56 to 706%
Over 704%
45 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Debt cleared
In 2018/19, young people under 18 cleared $1,016,613 through participation in WDOs, while
young people under 25 (including under 18s) cleared $8,600,980.
Demographics
In 2018/19, young people under 18 were more likely to be male (72%) compared with people
over 18 (65%). The gender distribution of WDO applicants in 2018/19 was similar amongst
young people under 25 and over 25. There were 14 participants under 25, including 2 under
18s, who identified with a non-specific gender.
There were 518 WDO participants under 18 and 2,193 participants under 25 in 2018/19 who
identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This represents a participation rate of 32% for
under 18s and 27% for under 25s. This is much higher than the overall participation rate for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of 21%.
There were 281 WDO participants under 18 and 1,171 participants under 25 in 2018/19 who
were from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. This represents a
participation rate of 17% of under 18s and 14.5% of under 25s, which is consistent with the
overall CALD participation rate of 15%.
Young people participating in WDOs were less likely to receive a Centrelink benefit in 2018/19.
18% of young people under 18 and 48% of young people under 25 received a Centrelink
benefit, compared with 64% of WDO participants over 25.
Eligibility reasons
The most common eligibility reason for young people, in both the under 18 and under 25 categories, was acute economic hardship, followed by mental illness and serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances.
46 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 10.2 – WDO eligibility reasons for young people in 2018/19
Eligibility reason Number of WDOs approved
Under 18 Under 25
Acute economic hardship 1620 4573
Mental illness 160 2033
Serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances
208 1970
Homelessness 115 742
Intellectual disability or cognitive impairment
51 248
Young people under 18 were more likely than people over 18 to apply on the basis of acute economic hardship. This is unsurprising, given changes to the WDO Guidelines in 2017 to deem all under 18s as being in acute economic hardship. The distribution of eligibility reasons for under 25s and over 25s was similar.
Figure 10.2 – Eligibility reasons for WDO participants in 2018/19 by age range
Activities
In 2018/19, the most common activity for under 18s was mentoring, followed by educational, vocational or life skills courses. The most common activity for under 25s was educational, vocational or life skills courses, followed closely by drug or alcohol treatment and medical or mental health treatment.
75
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Under 18 Under 25 Over 25
47 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Table 10.3 – WDO activities undertaken by young people in 2018/19
Activity type Number of WDOs approved
Under 18 Under 25
Educational, vocational or life skills course
449 2,113
Drug or alcohol treatment 253 1,966
Medical or mental health treatment 181 1,746
Mentoring (for under 25s) 635 1,260
Financial or other counselling 274 1,049
Unpaid work 156 723
The distribution of activities across age ranges was stable for activities which attract an hourly cut-out rate (educational, vocational or life skills courses; financial or other counselling and unpaid work). There was variation across the compliance based activities (medical or mental health treatment, drug or alcohol treatment and mentoring), however, this is to be expected because mentoring is only available to people under 25 years of age.
In the under 18 age range, participants were more likely to undertake mentoring than drug or alcohol treatment or medical or mental health treatment, compared to under 25s.
Figure 10.3 - WDO activities undertaken in 2018/19 by age range
23
%
13
%
9%
33
%
14
%
8%
24
%
22
%
20
%
14
%
12
%
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%
32
%
28
%
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Under 18 Under 25 Over 25
48 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
11 Location of WDO
participants
Birrang Enterprise Development Company
Birrang Enterprise Development Company has been running sessions at Glenroi, Bowen, Bathurst and Kelso, attracting up to 50 at a time.
Training co-ordinator Peta McGrath said three-hour sessions equated to the removal of $150-worth of fines, up to a cap of $1,000 a month.
“Which is huge – you can attend for a couple of weeks and get your fines paid off,” she said.
“The idea is making life at home on a low income easier, so things like healthy eating, budgeting, parental rights and responsibilities and home maintenance.”
Legal Aid solicitor Lynne Worrall said accumulating fines added an extra impediment for low-income families.
“Their driver’s licence can be suspended or a block can be put on so they’re not even allowed to apply for a licence,” she said.
“They’re the most vulnerable people in society and they’re the ones that can’t pay – it’s a bit of a downward spiral.”
She said a loss of licence could lead people to face court for driving while suspended, and more fines, if they took the risk.
Ms McGrath said she had witnessed people move from homelessness to government housing to private rentals in three years because a licence and independence meant they could more easily seek work.
“Whole families have evolved, they get their kids back, they get treatment, they get off the drugs,” she said.
Excerpt from the Central Western Daily, 12 February 2019, Danielle Cetinski
49 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
A key objective of the WDO Governance Group is ensuring the WDO scheme is accessible to
all people in NSW. In particular, this is a focus for Legal Aid NSW which has specialist staff
across NSW who continue to recruit new WDO sponsors in all areas of the state, as well as
supporting existing sponsors through education and training.
In this section of the report we have provided heat maps showing the geographic dispersion of
approved WDOs.
Location is determined by the WDO participant’s residential postcode. Where a customer
elected to use the sponsor’s address for the WDO (for example, because they are in a
residential facility or homeless), the sponsor’s postcode was used.
WDOs supported by Corrective Services NSW or Youth Justice NSW for people in custody
were excluded so areas with correctional facilities are not over-represented.
The figures on the following pages show the WDO scheme has reached community members
right across NSW.
Figure 11.1 shows the geographic coverage of the WDO scheme for all customers in 2018/19.
There was good coverage across the State, with only a small number of locations where a
WDO was not available. The coverage in 2018/19 is consistent with coverage since the
scheme commenced, which is illustrated in figure 11.2.
Figures 11.3 and 11.4 show the geographic dispersion of WDOs for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander applicants. Although the rate of participation in WDOs by Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people remained strong in 2018/19 (21%), figure 11.3 shows that there were a
number of areas in Southern NSW where there were no WDOs undertaken by Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people. This may be an area for further investigation in 2019/20.
50 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 11.1 – Geographic dispersion of WDOs approved in 2018/19
Figure 11.2 – Geographic dispersion of WDOs approved since the scheme commenced
51 Work and Development Order annual report 2018/19
Figure 11.1 – Geographic dispersion of WDOs approved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people in 2018/19
Figure 11.2 – Geographic dispersion of WDOs approved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people since the scheme commenced